In a not unexpected move, the 2020 Antiques + Modernism Winnetka show has been rescheduled to 2021. It was the only thing the promoters could do to insure the safety of both the exhibitors and attendees. Even if they had held the show, it would have been a failure because many exhibitors would have dropped out and very few people would have attended.
Following is the email with the news.
Dear Winnetka Exhibitor:
Many of you have contacted us in recent weeks asking about the status of this year’s Winnetka Antiques & Modernism Show.
It is with much disappointment that we must officially announce today that this year’s show, which was to have been held November 5-8 will not take place.
This decision was by no means an easy one to arrive at and it came about only this past week after several months of much deliberation and discussion by both the Winnetka Woman’s Board as well as the Show Committee. The overriding considerations throughout that process: ensuring the wellbeing and safety of both our dealers as well as show attendees; along with the ability to mount a successful show.
It should also be noted that a couple of alternatives to having the live show were also discussed. The first of these being to present a “virtual” on-line show similar to others some of you may have already recently seen taking place or have perhaps even participated in. However, after reviewing the widely mixed bag of results for these other virtual shows as well as contacting potential corporate sponsors for underwriting, the committee and Board felt that this would not be the way to go this year.
A second alternative was to possibly reschedule forward the actual date of the show to take place sometime in the spring of 2021. Once again however, it was felt that the uncertainty of where we will be in terms of adequately addressing the Covid situation even at that future time would make the planning and holding of this event simply too impractical.
So the bottom line is that the show will take a hiatus for one year. However, we are happy to tell you that the present plan is to hold it next year in the fall at its usual date on the calendar.
For those of you who have already sent in your $500 deposits for this year’s show, that money will be refunded to all of you in full within the next 14 days.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly either by email or phone.
Please stay safe everyone.
Kaye Gregg & Marty Shapiro
Antiques Council Liaisons
Look for more cancellations and rescheduled shows. I predict the big events of the winter season in Florida will suffer the same fate. A vaccine is our only hope and that will be months and months away and possibly ineffective. An article in the New York Times on August 17, 2020, talked about a new, more contagious strain of the virus that the vaccine may not be able to stop. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!